And the Winner is ?
by moondragon23
Summary: Shawn and Lassiter make a 'friendly' wager at the shooting range.


**I do not own Psych or any of its characters. All other publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**I know nothing about shooting guns or shooting ranges; everything I know I picked up from TV shows and movies. Please forgive any mistakes I made and if you are knowledgeable on the subject, don't hesitate to correct me. I like my stories to be accurate and will gladly make changes.**

**This story is for Redwolffclaw. I hope this helps brighten your weekend!**

**Everyone, enjoy!**

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Juliet followed Carlton down to the SBPD in-house shooting range. "I don't think this is a good idea, Carlton."

"The man challenged my proficiency with a gun, O'Hara," Carlton exclaimed. He reached the bottom of the stairs and stalked to his preferred lane. "It's a matter of honor now."

Juliet sighed. Her partner could be so bull-headed sometimes, but she still had to try to talk him out of this. "Are you _really_ sure you want to do this?"

Carlton looked at her incredulously. "Why not? There is no way Spencer can out shoot me. This is my chance to finally get one up on him."

"He did shoot out the radiator of that pickup truck while clinging to the hood of your car," she reminded him. She hadn't seen it in person, but she had heard about it from Henry enough times to know how hard a shot that was.

"It was a lucky shot," her partner said dismissively. "_And_ that was three years ago. I haven't seen him pick up a gun since."

_No, you wouldn't have. _She hadn't even known Shawn had until she caught him sneaking in late one night, smelling of gunpowder. He had tried to lie his way out of it but eventually admitted to visiting the gun range every few weeks. She had gone with him the last time he wanted to practice and had been amazed at how good a shot he her boyfriend didn't like guns, he did believe knowing how to shoot one was a good skill to have in their line of work, just in case. "I just think you should consider Shawn may be a better shot than you think."

Carlton snorted. "I highly doubt it." He nodded his head towards the next lane, where they could hear Shawn and Gus talking. "Why don't you go make sure your boyfriend doesn't shoot himself before we start?" Turning his back on her, he pulled out his gun and laid it on the counter before grabbing a box of bullets and fresh mags.

_Well, I tried_ she thought with resignation. She left Carlton alone and went to check on her boyfriend.

Shawn was standing there holding a gun in his hand, Gus looking on in disapproval. "Hey Jules. Here to wish me luck?" Shawn asked.

"As if you need it," she said teasingly, causing him to grin widely.

"Your dad is going to kill you when he finds out what you are doing," Gus said.

"Relax, Gus. He's not going to find out," Shawn said. He checked over the gun in his hand, making sure it was in good working order with quick proficiency.

"How do you know?" Gus asked. "He has spies all over the station."

"Because the only people who know about this bet are the four of us. You're not going to tell my dad, and I'm certainly not. Jules wouldn't do that either." Shawn looked over at her and she nodded in agreement. "And Lassie certainly won't say anything after I beat his ass. So there is no way for my dad to find out."

"I hope your right," Gus said doubtfully.

"Of course I'm right." Shawn popped a fresh mag into the gun and turned to Juliet. "Is Lassiepants ready yet?"

"Just about," she said. Shawn put his gun down and they stepped out of the lane.

Carlton was waiting for them. "Ready to lose, Spencer?"

Shawn smirked. "Bring it on, Lassie."

"Six bullets at ten feet. The one who gets the most accurate kill shots wins." Carlton sneered at Shawn. "You do know what is considered a kill shot, right?"

"Destroys the brain or spinal column or causes massive blood loss," Shawn replied promptly. Carlton blinked in surprise at his answer, but nodded.

"Whose going to judge the shots?" Gus asked.

"I vote Jules," Shawn said quickly.

"I agree." Carlton glanced sideways at her. "I trust my partner to be fair."

"OK, I'll do it," she said. She didn't like being in the middle of their arguments, but Gus wouldn't be able to judge the shots and she wanted to avoid possible bloodshed.

"How about we make this interesting?" Shawn asked with a sly grin.

Carlton frowned. "Interesting how?"

"Just a friendly little wager," Shawn said casually. "How about, I win, you let me in on any case I want for a month."

"Shawn, the final call is up to the Chief," Juliet cut in. "She can still keep you off a case."

"Then how about Lassie has to try to get me assigned to any case I want?" Shawn suggested, turning to Carlton. "I know she'll listen to a recommendation from you."

Carlton though for a moment, then nodded. "But when I win, you are banned from all cases for a month."

Shawn glanced at Gus before grinning at the detective. "You're on."

After an extremely tense handshake, both men entered their respective lanes. Juliet watched as they donned protective gear, each of them giving her a thumbs up when they were ready. "On my count," she said loudly, glad no one else was using the range right now. "Three! Two! One! _Fire_!"

Shawn started first, quickly firing off his six rounds. Carlton took a little longer, though also finished quickly. They recalled their targets and passed them to Juliet.

She studied them closely. "It's a tie."

"What?" Carlton grabbed the targets from her hand and studied them closely. They had made different shots, but each was perfectly targeted to hit vital areas.

"So what happens if there's a tie?" Gus asked.

"Nothing," Carlton snapped. "We'll do it again. Fifteen feet this time."

"Then we're upping the stakes," Shawn said. "Two months of cases."

"Two months without cases," Carlton challenged.

"Guys," Juliet said, trying to get their attention.

"Deal," Shawn said.

She watched as they split up again and got ready. She glanced over at Gus, who shrugged. "There not going to stop until someone wins," he said.

She nodded in agreement. "That's what I'm afraid of." Seeing that both men were ready, she and Gus stepped back. "Three! Two! One! _Fire_!"

Less than a minute later she was examining the results for the second round. She looked up to see both Shawn and Carlton looking at her expectantly. "I'm sorry, it's another tie."

Carlton glared at Shawn. "Twenty five feet. Three months, no cases, and you can't come _near_ the station."

Juliet wanted to protest that last part, but her boyfriend was already listing his conditions. "Three months, any case I want, and you can't diss my psychic abilities."

"Deal," Carlton snapped.

She watched as each man got ready, waiting impatiently for her to give the go ahead. She glanced apprehensively at Gus before starting the third round. "Three! Two! One! _Fire_!"

This time, Carlton fired first. He took his time, making sure each shot was dead on. Shawn fired seconds after each of the detective's shots. When Carlton took a longer delay between the third and fourth shot, Shawn did as well, leading Juliet to believe her boyfriend was planning something. Carlton must have believed so as well. He was getting more tense with each shot and cursed loudly after firing his last round, which went a little wide of the mark.

In contrast to Carlton's tense demeanor, Shawn was smirking when he handed her his target. "You need to relax Lassie. All that stress isn't good for you."

"Shut up, Spencer," Carlton snarled.

Juliet ignored them and concentrated on the targets. She immediately noticed a similarity between them. She took Shawn's target and laid it over Carlton's. It matched almost perfectly, even the one shot at the end that was off its mark. She glanced up at Shawn, who smiled innocently back at her. "It's another tie."

"No way." Carlton snatched the targets out of her hands. He immediately spotted the same similarities she did. "You're cheating!" he shouted, glaring at Shawn.

"How?" Shawn asked, raising an eyebrow. "Unless I'm really psychic and knew you were going to make those specific shots ahead of time."

Carlton's hands clenched into fists at his side. It had been a long time since Shawn made her partner this mad and she wondered if she should intervene. She saw Gus take a quick step back, out of the way in case something should happen.

"Fifty feet, one bullet. The person closest to the center of the bulls-eye wins." Carlton stepped closer until he was right in Shawn's face. "And when I win, you will have to tell me how you've _really_ been solving cases all these years."

Shawn grinned. "And when I win, you will have to admit in front of the entire department that I really am psychic."

Carlton stared at her boyfriend for a long, tense moment, jaw clenched. "Deal."

Juliet looked at Shawn. He was good, but even the best miss sometimes. She doubted he would really tell Carlton the truth if he lost, but she wasn't positive. He had a strange sense of honor when it came to these types of bets.

He grinned at her reassuringly before he entered his lane. "Don't worry Jules. I got this."

"Just shut up and shoot!" Carlton shouted from his own lane.

Rolling his eyes, Shawn went up to the counter and got ready.

Gus moved to stand next to her, looking as worried as she felt. They both knew how much trouble Shawn would be in if he lost. "No offense, but Shawn better win," Gus muttered.

"I hope so too," she said quietly. Seeing both men were ready, she started the final round. "Three! Two! One! _Fire_!"

A single shot fired from each gun, almost simultaneously, resulting in one, loud bang. There was a tense moment as the targets were retracted and carefully taken down before being brought before her. She studied each target, aware of the intense gazes of two of the most important men in her life staring at her. It was close, but it was clear who the winner was. She took a deep breath before looking up.

"Shawn."

Her boyfriend gave a shout, jumping up and down like a five year old. "In your face, Lassie!"

Without waiting for him to ask, she handed Carlton the targets. He looked them over and his shoulders slumped. "Son of a bitch."

Shawn wrapped an arm around Juliet, giving her a kiss on the cheek, before turning to Carlton. "I think tomorrow morning would be a good time to collect on my debt. How about ten o'clock? I don't like to get up early and that will give me plenty of time to let the press know."

"You really think I'm going to admit you're psychic because of a stupid bet?" Carlton asked.

Shawn nodded. "I do, because you're a man of your word."

Carlton glared at him but didn't refute it. It may be just a bet but Carlton's sense of honor would compel him to follow through, no matter how much he wished to back out of it. It was part of the reason Juliet respected him, even if right now Shawn was using it to his advantage.

Shawn sighed. "Okay, because I'm feeling nice, I'll give you a hint. You said you wanted to know how I solve cases?" Juliet tensed beside him, wondering what he was going to say. Shawn winked at her before continuing. "Well, I already told you." He grinned at Carlton's confused look. "Now you just have to remember when." He gave Juliet another kiss before pulling away. "Come on, Gus. Let's go celebrate."

Juliet studied her partner as her boyfriend grabbed his gun and left with Gus, arguing over where they were going to go for their celebratory dinner. Carlton was once again staring at the targets in disbelief. "Are you okay?"

"Why didn't you warn me he was such a good shot?" Carlton snapped, glaring at her.

Juliet raised her eyebrows. "I did. You didn't want to hear it."

Carlton opened his mouth to argue, then sighed. "Yeah, you did," he admitted ruefully. He balled up the targets in his hands and tossed them in the trash. "Thanks for not saying it."

"What?" she asked, puzzled.

Carlton grinned wryly. " 'I told you so.' " He went back into his lane and picked up his gun, making sure the safety was on before he holstered it. He started to clean up the mags and bullets littering the counter.

"I don't like to kick people when they're down," she said, watching him.

"He's never going to let me live it down." He turned to Juliet, a box of bullets in his hands. "Do you think he'll really have the press there?"

"Probably," she admitted reluctantly. "Likely a photographer as well."

"Great," he muttered. He finished cleaning up silently and walked out of the lane. He glanced at the pile of targets from the first three rounds, picking one of Shawn's up for a closer look. "He's a hell of a shot," he said, a touch of admiration in his tone.

"Maybe he could give you some pointers," she said cheekily.

Carlton opened his mouth, probably to snap at her, then paused. "Maybe," he said finally. She tried to hide her shock when he looked up at her. "Could you. . . possibly. . .?"

"I'll talk to him about it." She knew how painful it was for her partner to ask for help but also knew how dedicated he was to being the best cop possible. If asking Shawn for advice could make him a better shot, he would swallow his pride and do it. Shawn had helped her partner in the past so would probably agree to it. She just hoped her boyfriend wouldn't tease Carlton too much.

"Thanks." Carlton gathered up the targets and tossed them in the trash. "Let's get out of here. I have a few hours left with my dignity intact and I want to enjoy them."

"There's a new coffee place around the corner. How about we grab a cup, then talk again with that suspect in the pet store robberies?" Juliet suggested. "You said you found something off in his alibi." She knew cracking a case would be just the pick-me-up her partner needed.

"As long as we can get something to eat as well. I'm starving," Carlton said, sounding more like his usual self. Juliet smiled as Carlton led the way back upstairs.

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**Writing the parts between Carlton and Juliet kept making me flashback to this week's episode. I hope my story does justice to their wonderful friendship.**

**Let me know what you think.**


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